Great description of climate change curriculum by board member Sister Jane

In response to Pope Francis' environmental encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," Carmelite Sr. Jane Remson initiated and helped create a 252-page curriculum designed to teach the encyclical to ninth- to 12th-graders. The curriculum aims to "lead young people to think critically and protect the Earth," according to Carmelite NGO, an international organization of the Carmelite Family affiliated with the United Nations and headquartered in New Orleans.

The curriculum, which Carmelite representatives presented Nov. 5-10 in Rome at the International Congress of Carmelite Schools, is now available in English and Spanish and includes detailed lesson plans in environmental science, humanities, social studies and theology. An accompanying study guide was also created for adults and college students.

The curriculum did not need Vatican approval, Remson said, but does have the approval of Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans.

Remson, who is based in New Orleans, developed the curriculum with the faculty of Salpointe Catholic High School, a Carmelite school in Tucson, Arizona, where the curriculum has been successfully tested and launched.

Work on the curriculum began at the time of the encyclical's publication in 2015 and was formally launched Nov. 5 in Rome. Others assisting with the curriculum included Carmelite Fr. Eduardo Agosta Scarel, a climatologist on the nongovernmental organization's governing board who has worked with Francis on climate-related issues while living in Argentina. He continues his work on climate change with the Vatican.